Trois Siècles de sonates russes pour alto

Description

The Russian viola sonata is a rare bird, particularly because the instrument itself was looked down upon by Soviet authorities; as a result, Russian music for viola has a rather uneven history. It all begins seriously in 1931, when the 1825 Sonata by Mikhail Glinka, "the father of Russian music," is reconstructed from his sketches by Vadim Borisovsky, "the father of Russian viola." Subsequently, musicians and composers worked together to expand the repertoire. The relationship between composer Revol Bunin and violist Rudolf Barshai led to a sonata in 1955 that deserves wider dissemination. Although they are separated by half a century, the sonatas by Shebalin and Sokolov share something unusual in common: both were created as part of a triptych, alongside sonatas for violin and cello. The four composers knew how to make the viola sing – although this lyricism is often animated by moments of drama and excitement.